I'M LISTENING!!!

Normally I blog about things I'm thinking about or lessons I've learned. Today I'm gonna share a story that happened to me last week. I've been asking the Holy Spirit to speak to me and through me lately and to let me be able to listen and act when He tells me to. So one night while working the graveyard shift, one of my coworkers looks at me with sadness in his face and flat out despair in his voice. He proceeds to tell me that he hasn't known true peace in his life in a very long time and that he has no idea how to get out of the mess he's made of his life. God opened a door for me to share my story and to share that God can give him true peace. Normally the control room at work is bustling and busy, but on this night God made it where it was just He and I in there. I shared with him for a minute, then I distinctly felt the Lord tell me to pray for him. I asked and he said yes, so I obeyed and said a short prayer for peace in his life. Then I felt compelled to tell him about a devotional book called The Jesus Calling by Sara Young. I told him that I would get him one next week and that I thought it would help him find God's peace.
Now here's where it gets totally awesome! I came home the next morning and told my wife that I needed to get another one of those devotional books that my parents got me for Christmas. She looks at me and says, " You mean The Jesus Calling or something like that, by Sara Y something or other?" I said yeah, then she starts laughing and says to me, "You're not gonna believe this!" She then proceeds to hand me a hard back copy of my little leather bound book. She says that she got it last night at church from some friends of ours who had been going through a tough time and that the note said they were glad to have us as friends and if we already had a copy to give this one to someone who could use it!!!
When I went to work the next day I gave my coworker the book and told him that God really wanted him to have this book. I then told him the story as I saw his eyes mist up. It's awesome when we listen to the Holy Spirit. My friends listened to the Holy Spirit and got us that book which God used to bless a man that they had never even met! That's God for you!!! If we will humble ourselves and listen to Him then He will do things that we could never even imagine!

Galatians 5:25 (NLT)

25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

SHHHHH........

Be quiet... I've heard that many times in my life. Any one who knows me will tell you that I'm a big man, with a big personality who loves to talk and tell all the crazy stories of what's happened in my life. I'm know to tell people that God is good and how much He has done to change me and to make my family life so much better. I hate silence. Seriously folks, I love the sound of people having fun and enjoying themselves, and the sound of utter silence just bugs me!
I'm reading a book by Sarah Young called "Jesus Calling, Enjoying Peace In His Presence". It's an awesome little daily devotional that helps a big mouth like me understand that silence is golden in our relationship with the Lord. Sarah talked about how she spent 3 years or so drinking her coffee on her porch and being quiet, clearing her cluttered mind and asking the Holy Spirit to speak to her. She then took out a pen and paper and wrote down the things that God was saying to her. It changed her life and helped her be reliant on quiet time with Him in order to grow in her walk with the Lord.
I've been dealing with the fact that God wants me to be quiet and listen to Him. I need to shut my mouth, stop asking for things, be thankful and start listening to what He's trying to tell me. I challenge you to stop and spend a few minuted each day in quiet time with Him. No t.v., no radio, no smart phone, no laptop, just you being quiet and listening to Him. I promise that you will notice the difference and will grow in you walk. I'm doing my best and asking Him to help me just shhhh...

Zephaniah 1:7

New King James Version (NKJV)

7 Be silent in the presence of the Lord God;
For the day of the Lord is at hand,
For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice;
He has invited[a] His guests.